The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately address the injustice and marginalisation in Ogoniland, in order to put an end to the neglect of many years. MOSOP on Thursday in Port Harcourt, through its Publicity Secretary, Fegalo Nsuke, also expressed displeasure over the Federal Government’s inability to commence the clean-up of Ogoniland and the full implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the environmental assessment of Ogoniland. Read more

The landlord community of the proposed $1 billion Calabar Virgin City, Etap Ayip Kasuk Qua Clan II, have placed a traditional injunction known as “Ekpe” on the land, thereby stopping work on project in Calabar, the Cross River State capital. The physical part of the injunction made up of palm fronds, pieces of red cloth among other things round the perimeter and on equipment at the site, has scared off the workers who have steered clear since it was put up. Clan Head of Community, HRH Ntoe Ededem Okon Ayito, said they had to place the traditional injunction because the government did not consult them before bulldozing the land for the project. Read more

Sagay panel asks JAMB to clarify N36m ‘swallowed by snake’ (Guardian)

The Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) has sought clarification on the N36 million cash allegedly swallowed by a snake at the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). It all began when a team of auditors working with JAMB arrived in Makurdi, Benue State to take an inventory of sold and unsold scratch cards and to audit the finances of the office in the state. But a sales clerk in the office, Philomina Chieshe, told the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, and his team that she could not account for N36 million she made in previous years before the abolition of scratch cards. Read more

No Electronic Voting in 2019, says INEC (ThisDay)

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will not introduce electronic voting for the 2019 general election. Speaking at a press conference to mark the end of the three-day international conference on the use of technology for the conduct of elections in Africa, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said it would only deploy technology for purposes of collating and transmitting election results during 2019 poll. “Let me say categorically that the commission will not be deploying technology for electronic voting in the 2019 elections, but we will deploy the technology for collation and transmission of election result from polling units to INEC result collation base,” he said. Read more

Offa Robbery: KWSG procures Armoured Personnel Carriers (Nation)

Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, has vowed to procure additional Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) to beef up security in Offa and strategic locations across the state. The governor, who urged well-meaning citizens of the state to resist any attempt by anyone to use the unfortunate Offa robbery attack for political purposes, said this during swearing-in of a new Khadi of the state Shariah Court of Appeal, Hon. Mas’ud Adebayo Oniye. The governor frowned at utterances made to score political gain, pointing out that “those utterances do not reflect our values as Kwarans and should stop, out of respect for the dead and the injured”. Read more

CCT: Supreme Court fixes July 6 on Saraki’s case (SUN)

The Supreme Court has set July 6 as date for delivering judgment in an appeal filed by the Senate President Bukola Saraki where he is challenging the ruling of the Court of Appeal which asked the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to try him on three of the 18 counts brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The apex court fixed the date, on Thursday, in Abuja, after hearing the appeal and cross-appeal filed by the Senate President and the EFCC over allegations of false asset declaration. Saraki is contending that there is no prima facia case against him and as such, the apex court should uphold his no case submission which was upheld by the CCT. Read more

Wike calls for greater legislature independence (SUN)

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has called on National and State Assembly Commissions to provide strong and effective institutional support to the legislative houses, for greater independence of the legislature. Wike made the call, yesterday, when he declared open the seventh National and State Assembly Commissions Conference in Port Harcourt open. He said the effective performance by the national and state assemblies would help in the development of democracy. “It takes strong, independent and efficient national and state assemblies to advance the basic development goals. Legislative houses also need strong and effective institutional support to be effective. This is where the role and relevance of national and state assemblies become necessary. Read more

Sale of 11 Benue companies not a fundraiser for Ortom’s reelection –Govt (Punch)

The Benue State Government on Thursday said the planned sale of 11 companies belonging to the state is not meant as a fundraiser for the governor’s second term bid, as is being insinuated in some quarters. The government revealed that it has concluded arrangement to “wholly and partially” privatise 11 companies belonging to the state. The proceeds will be used to develop critical sectors that would be of benefit to the people, the government said. The State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Prof. Tersoo Kpelai, who disclosed this during a press conference in Makurdi, said that the sale was not totally meant to raise money to offset salary arrears of workers as being speculated in some quarters. Read more

The Osun Government has declared Monday next week public holiday to enable the workers in the state to participate in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). Dr Obawale Adebisi, Commissioner for Home Affairs, said in a statement on Thursday in Osogbo, that the holiday was to provide ample opportunity to eligible voters to participate in the exercise. Adebisi urged those that had yet to register to use the holiday period to do so, and those that had registered to also use the period to collect their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC). Read more

THE Senate, yesterday, gave the management of Nigeria Customs Service one week to conclude its investigation on the alleged importation of restricted security gadgets into the country without end user declaration in the Customs papers by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State. Chairman, Senate ad-hoc committee investigating increased spate of political violence in Kogi State, Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta South), disclosed this, yesterday, when he met with officials of the Customs. Read more

WHO commends Toyin Saraki’s efforts on Maternal Health (ThisDay)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended the Wife of the Senate President and Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, for her advocacy and projects geared towards improved maternal and child health in Nigeria. To this end, the global body has appointed Mrs. Saraki the Special Adviser to the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) Regional Office for Africa. This was disclosed by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mathshidiso Moeti, when she led a high level courtesy visit to Mrs. Saraki in Abuja. Read more

4 years after the Chibok kidnapping Boko Haram still a threat (Guardian)

As Nigeria prepares to mark the four year anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping, a recent copycat attack serves as a reminder that Boko Haram is anything but defeated. Since coming into power in 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has claimed Boko Haram is “technically” defeated and “terribly degraded”. But in February, almost four years after the audacious kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in April 2014, Boko Haram kidnapped 111 schoolgirls from Dapchi, embarrassing the Nigerian military who failed to repel the militants and locate the girls. Read more

Troops rescue 33 Boko Haram family members (SUN)

The Nigerian military says its troops rescued 33 Boko Haram family members, including wives and children, during an operation in northeast Borno State. The operation conducted on Wednesday by military troops of counterinsurgency Operation LAFIYA DOLE at Jaje was done in conjunction with hunters and vigilantes, Army Spokesman Brig Gen. Texas Chukwu said in a statement Thursday morning. “Troops rescued 33 family members of Boko Haram terrorists comprising 15 women, 6 boys and 12 girls. However, their houses and property were also destroyed,” he said. Read more

Plenary at the Senate on Thursday became rowdy over alleged incompetence of President Muhammadu Buhari to address the spate of killings by armed herdsmen. Lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, had raised a point of order to make reference to the conflicting reasons given by officials in the Buhari-led administration for the herdsmen/farmers clashes. Abaribe noted that the latest was from Buhari who said during his current official visit to the United Kingdom ‎that the killer herdsmen were from Libya. Read more

Edo clamps down on illegal revenue collectors (Nation)

The Edo Deputy Governor, Mr Philip Shaibu, on Thursday arrested some illegal revenue collectors in Egor Local Government Area of the state. Shaibu who is also the Chairman of Committee on Local Government Harmonised Levies, effected the arrest, in company of the Chairman of the local government, Mrs Eghe Ogbemudia. He said the illegal collectors were issuing fake tickets to tax payers, adding that their nefarious activities would have negative impact on the local government’s coffers. Read more

Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Prof. Gloria Elemo, has called for deeper synergy between research institutes and universities toward commercialising research products. Elemo made the call in an interview, on Thursday, in Lagos. She said that collaboration among universities, research institutions and industries was critical for the development of skills, creation of innovation and technology transfer. Elemo said that such linkages would help to coordinate research and development agendas, avoid duplications, exploit synergies and complementarities of scientific and technological capabilities. Read more

Kebbi State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Alhaji Lawal Turawa, has said that of the total 2,183 corps members deplored to the state for 2017 batch A’ stream one, 993 relocated to other states as 1,288 successfully completed their one year mandatory National Youths Services Corps (NYSC). Turawa who stated this, on Thursday, during the passing out ceremony of the batch at Haliru Abdu stadium complex Birnin-Kebbi disclosed that 111 corps members also relocated to Kebbi state from other states. Read more

Again, Bandits attack 2 Zamfara villages, kill scores (Vanguard)

Bandits have on Wednesday attacked two villages in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara, killing some people. The bandits attacked a mining site at Kuru-kuru village and also ambushed some people from the neighbouring Jarkuka village as they mobilised to bring help to Kuru-kuru. A witness, Sadi Musa, said scores of people were killed at the mining site on Wednesday evening which forced the miners to flee for safety. Musa said when residents from the nearby Jarkuka came later to join the Kuru-kuru survivors in burying the dead, the gunmen attacked again, and killed more people. Read more

Relieved: Police recover 57 illegal arms in Kwara (Nation)

The Police Command in Kwara on Thursday said it had recovered 57 illegal weapons across the state. The Spokesman of the command, Mr Ajayi Okasanmi, disclosed this at a public lecture on security sensitization campaign against political thuggery, kidnapping and drug addiction. Our reporter reports that the programme was organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in the state. Okasanmi, who spoke on security of lives and property of the residents, disclosed that the weapons were recovered during the command’s month-long operations. Read more

Arsenal and Liverpool dealt transfer blow as Rafinha states desire to stay at Inter Milan (Talksport)

Arsenal and Liverpool target Rafinha wants to stay at Inter Milan. The midfielder is currently on loan at the San Siro from Barcelona after moving there last summer. The Brazilian has begun to find his feet in Italy and now, despite interest from England, he wants to stay there. “I’m very happy to be here, everything is going well,” Rafinha told Premium Sport. “I’m playing, and that’s important because it allows me to grow and find the right rhythm to reach top condition. “I’ve been confident from the first day, Inter is a great team and we have the chance to reach our objective. “I’m learning Italian, I want to stay here. I wanted Inter right away, I feel at home here and I’m happy.” Read more

FIFA asked to expand World Cup to 48 teams for 2022 World Cup – report (Independent)

FIFA have been asked to expand the number of teams that will qualify for the 2022 World Cup from 32 to 48, in a move that could boost the Republic of Ireland’s hopes of qualifying. The Associated Press are reporting that the South American football association have made a request to FIFA to bring forward their planned expansion of the World Cup by four years, with the revamped tournament featuring 80 games rather than the current format of 64. The last World Cup expansion was introduced back in 1998, when the 24-team tournament was increased to the current 32-team event, with 13 slots currently available for European nations and a 14th added this summer as Russia are hosts. Read more

Trump says meetings being set up with North Korea’s Kim (Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump praised China on Thursday for its help with North Korea and said meetings were being set up between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “They have really been a great help to us at the border with North Korea,” Trump said of China. “They’ve been really terrific at helping us get to some kind of settlement. “Meetings are being set up right now between myself and Kim Jong Un. I think it will be terrific. I think we’ll go in with a lot of respect and we’ll see what happens.” Read more

When more than 500kg of marijuana disappeared from a police warehouse in Argentina, officers had an improbable explanation: it must have been eaten by mice. Senior officers, it seems, were not convinced, and eight members of staff have now been fired in connection with the missing drug. The cannabis had been in storage for more than two years at an impound warehouse in the city of Pilar, 35 miles north of Buenos Aires, reported news outlet Pilar de Todos. But during an inspection of the facility in April 2017, it was discovered that, of 6,000kg registered there, only 5,460kg remained. Read more